Computing devices can display text and allow users to select portions of the displayed text. For example, a user may use a mouse or a keyboard to highlight a portion of text that is displayed as part of a word processing document or as part of a web page. Once the text has been highlighted, the user may perform an action with the text, for example, by providing a keyboard shortcut or selecting a graphical menu item with a mouse. Example actions include copying and pasting the text, and changing a font style of the selected text.
Mobile devices can provide different user experience from desktop devices. For example, some mobile devices have screens that are smaller than desktop display screens, some mobile devices do not have a mouse, and some mobile devices provide for user input using a touchscreen. A touchscreen can allow a user to provide user input to a mobile device using gestures, for example, hand, finger, or stylus movements across the surface of the device's touchscreen. Such gestures can be used to select text.